COLOR HARMONY 



ite in England and now offered in America) ; Ellen 

 Willmott, too, a pale-gray phlox, should be im- 

 mensely useful. 



I have to confess to a faint prejudice against 

 stripes, flakes, or eyes in phloxes, principally be- 

 cause, as a rule, the best effects in color group- 

 ings are obtained by the use of flowers of clear, 

 solid tones — otherwise one cannot count upon the 

 result of one's planning. With the eye, an unex- 

 pected element enters into our composition. 



Among irises what a possible range of color 

 pictures in lavenders, blues, bronzes, yellows, 

 springs up to the mind's eye with the very men- 

 tion of the flower's musical name! The immense 

 choice of species and varieties, the difference in 

 form and height, and more notably the unending 

 number of their lovely hues, make the iris family 

 a true treasure-house for the good flower gardener. 

 The first-comer of our spring iris festival is the 

 shy, stiff Iris reticulata of four inches; the last of 

 the lovely guests is the great white English iris 

 of four feet; and those showing themselves be- 

 tween the opening and closing days of iris time 

 are of many nations — German, Japanese, Siberian, 

 English, Dutch. 



Tulips, so highly developed in our day, present 

 5 



